One of the essentials of any quality website is a solid About page.

If you’re a blogger, your About page should include a photo of you, some personal background as well as some clues about your personality and post content. If you’re the owner of a handmade shop, your About page should feature both you as well as information on the products you make.  If you’re a small business, your About page should highlight your background, qualifications, and a bit about your product/service offerings. Your About page should showcase your passion and connection between who you are and what your business is about, and who you serve and how you can help your clients.

All types of websites should also always include a contact email and links to all relevant social media profiles on its About page.

Help with a website About page is one of the most common requests we receive. And justifiably so. If a user of your site likes what they see after landing on your site’s home page, there’s a high likelihood your About page is where they’ll be clicking next.

(Yes, a site’s About page is often the second most-visited page on a website.)

Tips for Writing a Website About Page

1. Length – Be sure that your About page “packs some punch.” Visitors to your site want to learn about you in a way that helps them connect with your words, and products or services, but don’t want to endlessly read along as you ramble on and on about your life story.

Some things to consider: How can you make your current About page more concise? Is it possible to present the same message but in fewer words? Is there something in the text of your current About page that goes without saying?

2. Personality – Yes, it’s vital to include some basic bio information – including your nearest major metro area if relevant – on your About page, but what makes you uniquely you? Don’t be afraid to add a bit of “flavor” to your About page text.

Something to consider: If you were to describe yourself in 4 or 5 words or short phrases, what would you say? Let those few words or phrases inspire some personalization of your About page text.

3. Gold Standard – What elements do you like or dislike about others’ About pages? Which ones leave you with the feeling that you know that person a little better? Which ones do you click away from before you finish reading?

Something to consider: There’s nothing wrong with looking for inspiration from other people. Spend some time clicking around websites of others in the same field as you. Bookmark the pages you love and want to come back to.

It’s quite possible that you’ll spend more time working on your About page than any other page of your website. But the time you put into this essential website element is time very well spent.

A well-crafted About page can be a cornerstone of your brand. It indicates who you are, your approach and personality, is and what you’re offering your users. While you may indeed spend more time here than on any other page element, it is time that will pay off in spades.